Windsor Terrace Reno

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February 21, 2007

Mystery of THE key.

Every single door in our house had a mortise lock. And I do mean every one - even the hall closet doors. So whoever originally lived here must have liked to keep everything buttoned up.

I actually really like them. We suffer from doorknobfallingitis in our current bathroom due to an old door and a new doorknob. At least the doorknobs will all stay securely in place this way.

But the mystery is this. The entire house has skeleton key locks. But only one key was found in the house. I've heard that many of these houses all operate on one skeleton key (making it convenient for the key holder but not very secure in general) so I wasn't surprised to find a single key. What is mysterious is that the key doesn't open any of the locks! So where did that key come from? Its not like the prior owner had much of a penchant for keeping decor so I don't think it would have been for decorative purposes. Spoooky.

I've read that a locksmith can fashion a working key from the lock. Anyone do this with success? Any suggestions of Brooklyn locksmiths that won't look at me as the crazy lady I am when I carry a box of mortise locks into their shop?

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Comments

No need for a locksmith. You can buy new master skeleton keys for a buck or so ...

http://houseofantiquehardware.com/s.nl/sc.10/category.52/.f

Posted by: Anonymous at February 22, 2007 7:14 AM

Cool...i had no idea there were only two types of keys. Thanks. What's the use of having locks if the same 3 key opens the lock all over the world?

Posted by: Mrs. Limestone at February 22, 2007 9:09 AM

and All Security charged me $70 bucks to provide one of these keys for a door in my house. The BASTARDS!

Posted by: dt at February 22, 2007 11:07 AM

dt - I would curse All Security just yet. I just spent an hour looking at skeleton keys online and there are way more than the plain and notched bits that House of Antique Hardware have. Im going to give them a call but I get the sense that the keys they sell for $1 are the blanks - a locksmith will still have to grind it down to fit the lock.

(I actually hope Im wrong)

Posted by: Mrs.Limestone at February 22, 2007 4:22 PM

These houses have those locksets as a standard, so that is why they all have the skeleton key. I have actually openen the lockset up and cleaned and oiled them. They work like the day they were made. The new replacement ones also come with a skeleton key.

Posted by: tom at February 22, 2007 4:43 PM

They are are all in perfect shape...I just need to find a key that fits.

Posted by: Mrs.Limestone at February 23, 2007 8:15 AM

Well, I don't think All Security is off the hook. My key looks just like one of the displayed keys above. Very simple,I don't think any cutting was involved.

Posted by: dt at February 23, 2007 8:40 AM

Ok, that is evil!

Posted by: Anonymous at February 23, 2007 10:32 AM

I used a great old timer to cut my keys and they were all different to some degree. To make them work properly and not - just slap around in the lock until you hit the right spot- they must be ground down to fit the mechanism of the lock.

His name is Dutch - 917.319.2295 and he's located in Brooklyn. He's a bit nutty (all the old timers are) but very trustworthy.

Good luck.

Posted by: Anonymous at February 24, 2007 6:47 PM

First off, if the locksmith made the trip out to your home, you're paying for his time, travel and knowledge. Would it have been better and easier for you to completely remove the lock and take it to him? If so, you would've paid maybe $20.00 instead.

That being said, one of the reasons that even a proper key may not work in an existing lock is the layers of paint on the edge of the lock. That build-up of paint will prevent the bolt from coming out. You can try using a utility knife/razor blade/box cutter to cut around the bolt. That may help, but there's an excellent chance you may still need to take everything apart. If you do that, be sure to take a few pictures with your digital camera of the inner workings before removing the five or six parts inside. It can be like a jigsaw puzzle if you don't know what you're doing. Watch for flying springs, too. They can take an eye out.

The "skeleton keys" you find at the hardware store and home centers can sometimes work your locks, but in many cases, parts of those keys need to be filed, as another poster already stated.

-Rick D.

Posted by: guest at September 3, 2007 8:53 AM